I. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to fluid coupling and, more particularly, to a quick connect coupling for a fuel tank.
II. Description of the Prior Art
Fuel tanks of the type used in automotive vehicles typically comprise an outwardly protruding nipple which is secured to the tank by welding. A fill tube is then mechanically secured to the nipple and, through a filler neck assembly, enables the tank to be filled with fuel as desired. There are, however, a number of disadvantages to this previously used fluid connection to the fuel tank for fueling it with fuel.
One disadvantage is that the nipple must be welded onto the fuel tank. This not only increases the labor costs associated with constructing the fuel tank, but, also limits the type of material from which the fuel tank can be constructed. This is particularly true since many proposed fuel tank materials are constructed from non-weldable materials.
A still further disadvantage of these previously known filler systems for fuel tanks is that the filler neck must be mechanically secured to the fuel tank nipple during the assembly of the automotive vehicle. This necessarily increases the labor costs of constructing the vehicle. Furthermore, in some vehicle design situations, the nipple is positioned in a low accessibility position which further increases the labor costs for fluidly connecting the filler tube to the fuel tank nipple.